[22 Paradise Rd., Northampton, Mass.]
My Dearest,
Christmas has come and gone, without my knowing where you are. You received, I hope, my cable to the Hotel Puritan, Commonwealth Avenue; andHale, Emily Jose Milliken (EH's mother)business relating to;c3 now, I hope, you have been able to complete the business you had to do for your mother and get away from Boston. I wonder if your weather has been as inclement as ours. Itwinterheavy snow;a4 was the most severe week I have ever known in London, and the heaviest fall of snow: all very seasonable in theory, but extremely inconvenient for people during the week before Christmas. I was very glad, for the first time, to have a pair of American Ar’tics to keep my feet dry and warm. OnTravellers' Club, LondonChristmas Day lunch at;a1 Christmas Day I lunched at the Travellers’ Club (my own being closed) afterSt. Stephen's Church, Gloucester Roadchurchwarding at;a5 dealing with the collections at all the various Christmas masses; andJanes, W. L.Christmas Day hospital visit to;b7 in the afternoon visited Janes in his hospital, where I found him, in the midst of Christmas decorations, a tree, an imitation coster’s barrow loaded with fruit, a wireless blaring dance music throughout the ward – sitting up in bed in a red flannel jacket, smoking a pipe, and wearing a paper cap bearing the legend ‘Lambeth Walk! Oi!’1 He seemed in quite good spirits, and certainly was convinced that he would eventually be able to return home and carry on as before. InHayward, JohnChristmas Day with;h8 the evening I dined alone with John Hayward and a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1924. TheEvery, George;b1 nextMonro, Alida (née Klementaski);c4 two days – both holidays – I passed quietly alone, except for having George Every to dinner one evening and Alida Monro the other. IMorleys, theTSE's New Years celebrated with;d5 have, alas, to go to the Morleys for Saturday night for the New Year; andMoot, The;a3 the next weekend there is a meeting of the ‘Moot’ at Haywards Heath to discuss our problems of Christianity and Society; and after that I intend to remain at home until I have to lecture in Cambridge in February or March.
OnHale, Emilybirthdays, presents and love-tokens;w2TSE receives diary for Christmas;d9 Christmas morning I opened your Diary, which will remain in my pocket for a year, andPerkins, Edith (EH's aunt)gives TSE balsam pillow;d8 a nice balsam pillow from Mrs. Perkins. AlsoDukes, Ashley;f1 receivedMorley, Susannagives TSE blotter for Christmas;b1: twoEliot, Henry Ware, Jr. (TSE's brother)gives TSE portfolio;e1 bottles of wine from Ashley Dukes, a blotter from Susanna Morley, and a portfolio from Henry. AndMorley, Donaldtaken to Shakespeare;b6 thisMorley, Olivertaken along to Shakespeare;a7 afternoonOld Vic, Thepresents Midsummer Night's Dream;b6 IShakespeare, WilliamMidsummer Night's Dream;c3 haveMorley, Christina (née Innes)brings Morley boys along to Shakespeare;c1 to take the Morley boys to ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at the Old Vic, as my Christmas present to them. Fortunately Christina will come too.
So much for my small beer. I missed you very much, of course! consoling myself only with the thought that the end of the year brings the summer nearer, even though the summer brings its own problems of adaptation and compromise. ChristmasChristianitythe Church Year;d8thoughts of EH during;a7 is a particular moment of prayer for you – and for us. I thought that I had told you before that I do use the rosary – yours I do not carry about, because I should not like to risk losing it, and also it is rather more bulky: but it hangs at the head of my bed. I hope that you too, in the next five months or so, will get both plenty of fresh air and sleep (Boerredogs'Boerre' (Norwegian Elkhound);b7affords EH exercise;b2 no doubt sees to the former, if not the latter, but I am glad if he is a good watch dog indoors at least) and time for reading and thinking, without being too fatigued to be able to do either. And remember this year to take such care of yourself through the winter that you will NOT have shingles or anything else in the spring! Your letter of the 15th sketched a very crowded programme before Christmas – and I have no doubt that the time in Boston (including dentistry) will have been full also; so I do hope that you will get at least a week of real relaxation among friends before you return and find this letter waiting for you, with all my love and solicitude.
1.The final phrase of the Cockney dance ‘Doing the Lambeth Walk’ – lyrics by L. Arthur Rose and Douglas Furber – from the musical Me and My Girl, starring Lupino Lane:
Once you get down Lambeth way
Every evening, every day,
You’ll find yourself
Doing the Lambeth Walk, oi!
4.AshleyDukes, Ashley Dukes (1885–1959), theatre manager, playwright, critic, translator, adapter, author; from 1933, owner of the Mercury Theatre, London: see Biographical Register.
3.HenryEliot, Henry Ware, Jr. (TSE's brother) Ware Eliot (1879–1947), TSE’s older brother: see Biographical Register.
4.GeorgeEvery, George Every, SSM (1909–2003), historian and poet: see Biographical Register.
11.JohnHayward, John Davy Hayward (1905–65), editor and critic: see Biographical Register.
4.W. L. JanesJanes, W. L. (1854–1939), ex-policeman who worked as handyman for the Eliots. Having been superannuated from the police force early in the century, he worked for a period (until about 1921) as a plain-clothes detective in the General Post Office. TSE reminisced to Mary Trevelyan on 2 Apr. 1951: ‘If I ever write my reminiscences, which I shan’t, Janes would have a great part in them’ (‘The Pope of Russell Square’). TSE to Adam Roberts (b. 1940; godson of TSE), 12 Dec. 1955: ‘I … knew a retired police officer, who at one period had to snoop in plain clothes in the General Post Office in Newgate Street – he caught several culprits, he said’ (Adam Roberts). HisJanes, Ada wife was Ada Janes (d. 1935).
3.AlidaMonro, Alida (née Klementaski) Klementaski (1892–1969) married Harold Monro on 27 Mar. 1920: see Alida Monro in Biographical Register.
2.JohnMorley, Donald Donald Innes Morley (b. 15 Mar. 1926).
1.HughMorley, Oliver Oliver Morley (b. 4 Dec. 1928).